Learning has become more than lectures, taking notes, repetitions and dull, non-stimulating classrooms. Two of the most important elements of learning are “DESIRE and “INTEREST.” By stimulating students' interest, the level of enthusiasm and motivation increases, and students will less likely become distracted or disinterested. Consequently, interested students will make more effort in preparation for involvement in, and attendance at, classroom lessons, which will enhance the effectiveness of the educational system. The role of instructors in classrooms is to create the groundwork for student motivation by inspiring them, piquing their imaginations, stimulating their interests and tapping into their creativity.
Most education experts agree that success in the educational process depends on the level of retention of the material to be learned, based on the fact that the brain does not pay attention to everything. The rate of retention drops where there are uninteresting, boring or emotionally-flat lessons, since the brain simply drifts off to find other stimuli that are more interesting. Students will not remember dull, colorless or monotonous materials. If the classroom environment is creative, enlightening, inspiring and motivating, the goal of creating an effective and positive learning atmosphere is achieved. If the cold, lifeless and boring classroom can be converted into a vibrant, interesting and stimulating multimedia experience, students will have greater interest in attending classes and faculty effectiveness will improve dramatically. A successful educational experience should be “fun” for both faculty and students in day-to-day learning, but “fun” is often “frowned upon” by some educators. Students pay more attention to lessons that are presented in a way that is “fun.” Escalated student interest becomes the stimulus for increased improvements in other learning techniques and resources such as field trips, research and independent studies.
In the past, when computers and interactive software moved into classrooms, educators thought superior performance would result and anticipated that computers and interactive software would positively impact learning, and that student test scores would dramatically improve with these tools and methods. However, the results were very different from what was originally expected. It has become widely accepted that computer technology in the classroom fails to teach, accelerate overall comprehension, or to hold student attention over any length of time. There is no doubt that live instructors teach learners and have no substitute or replacement in the learning process for human beings. It is impossible to automate live instruction since only live instructors can sense the mood of the student body and attend, by instinct, and artistry to the velocity, momentum and acceleration of day-to-day learning. Humans are social learners and require social learning in classrooms in which the meaning of the social experience in terms of context, community, state and nation may be fully understood. With this rapid realization, computers are mainly used to assist students to CONFIRM that which is already LEARNED rather than to impart the learning itself.
Later, virtual-reality devices provided no further improvement over computers. Therefore, the mere application of computers in the classroom did not make much improvement and represented misapplied resources, wasted opportunity dollars, and can now be defined as a mistake based on performance evaluation and test scores. Need for a teaching tool that would employ the benefits of new technologies and enhance learning was considered vital.